Mitchells And Butlers Guilty Of Food Hygiene Failings

Woman Died And Other Diners Ill Following Problems On Christmas Day

28.11.2014

Pub chain Mitchells and Butlers has been found guilty of placing unsafe food on the market after 33 diners became ill and one died as a result of food poisoning problems at the Railway Hotel in Hornchurch on Christmas Day in December 2012.

Havering Council visited the site after receiving complaints regarding the issue and a year-long investigation found that the reason for the illness was Clostridium perfringens bacteria, which is believed to have emerged as the turkey meat was either not cooked or reheated correctly.

The former manager and former head chef at the site, Ann-Marie McSweeney and Mehmet Kaya, were found guilty of doing acts tending and intended to pervert the course of public justice, after it emerged records were made up in relation to the cooking of the meat.

Sentencing of all parties will take place on January 8th.

Councillor Osman Dervish, cabinet member for regulatory services at Havering Council, said: “This is the right result for all of those involved. This was clearly a very serious food poisoning incident.”

Expert Opinion

This terrible case demonstrates why adhering to food hygiene and safety standards is an absolute necessity for all retailers and outlets, as well as the devastating consequences which can emerge if guidelines are not followed.

"It is vital that steps are taken to learn lessons from this outbreak of food poisoning, with the ultimate aim being to try and ensure that the same issues are not repeated in the future, and this is a particularly important message at this time of year.

"Bacterial infections can leave victims with severe gastric illness symptoms and can lead to longer-term health problems from which they never fully recover. Tragically in some cases, as this shows, they can even be fatal.

"Irwin Mitchell have recovered compensation for tens of thousands of illness victims in the UK and abroad. The importance of this issue can never be underestimated and it is vital that safety always comes first."

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